LIFE’S INSPIRATIONS: “… `And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness’…” (Deuteronomy 6:25, the Holy Bible).

-ooo-

REVOLT BREWS VS. KOKO, BEBOT AT PDP LABAN: A storm of hate seems to be brewing out of control against Senate President Aquilino Koko Pimentel III and House Speaker Pantaleon Bebot Alvarez Jr., the current president and secretary general, respectively, of the PDP Laban (or the party that launched the presidential bid in 2016 of President Duterte). The storm is coming from people claiming to be the original members of the party since its creation in the 1980s.

Owing to this seething feeling of hatred and dismay by the party’s original members, they proceeded to form a new group which they no longer wanted to be called as, or to be identified with, the PDP Laban. They named this new group the “Hukbong Federal ng Pilipinas” (or, loosely, Federal Force of the Philippines) and, according to their pronouncements in their Messenger Chat Group, they have been joined by other “orig” PDP Laban members from the different parts of the country.

They no longer wished to be called members of the PDP Laban, although they carefully hastened to clarify that they will continue to fiercely support President Duterte, and more so his plan to change the country’s form of government from the present presidential type to a system of federalism. They call each member of this new group “Ka Hukbo” (or, literally, “colleague in the force”).

-ooo-

‘ORIG’ PDP LABAN MEMBERS DENOUNCE ‘PERSONAL INTERESTS’ OF PARTY LEADERS: The present known leader of Hukbong Federal ng Pilipinas is Mr. Domingo A. Canero, a former barangay captain at Bgy. Holy Spirit, Quezon City and who is now the president emeritus of a school for elementary and high school education in the area. He explained, and so did his members in their Messenger Chat Group, the reasons which prompted them to separate from the PDP Laban.

First, they do not like what they said was the “politicizing” of the admission of new members of PDP Laban. Their complaint is that, these new members were no longer required to undergo some kind of a familiarization or indoctrination process on the principles and doctrines espoused by the party, and were accepted right away and allowed to take their oaths immediately, only because they had Alvarez and Pimentel acting as their patrons or godfathers.

According to Canero, “ it is time for the members of the PDP Laban to act on principles and no longer agree to simply obey the dictates of their leaders. The followers have been too obedient for so long, even if the party’s leaders have been using them (the members) for their (the leaders’) own personal interests. Gone is the ideology of the party… so that it has already lost the trust of the once-loyal and legitimate PDP Laban members…”

-ooo-

“PDP LABAN IS USELESS”: So everyone will understand, I asked the permission of Canero to allow me to publish the exchange of messages among the members of their Messenger Group Chat (Hukbong Federal ng Pilipinas). He agreed, so here are some of the sentiments of some of their members: “… Now, I too have lost my faith in the party, because things are no longer okay. Liberal Party members are now being accepted without a sweat…”

From Butch Atienza Colasito of Leyte: “That is correct, PDP Laban is useless. The ones who truly worked hard are now being punished. The traitors who were our enemies during the election are now the ones rewarded by the party. It is sad that the principles we have fought for have gone down the drain. Me, too, I already removed PDP Laban from my profile…”

Silverio Purificacion, the auditor of Hukbong Federal ng Pilipinas: “PDP Laban nowadays has three factions already. The originals are those members who entered the party way back 1982 to 2000… The other faction are those people after President Duterte won… The other faction are the people who are near and dear to Koko and Bebot…” This column is open to any reaction from Koko and Bebot!

-ooo-

FOR QUESTIONS, REACTIONS: If anyone would like to ask me any question about what the burning issues of the day mean, or what we have discussed here, or to consult on any problem, whatever it maybe, please call 0917 984 24 68, or email me at batasmauricio@yahoo.com, or post your concerns at www.facebook.com/attybatas. Promise, I will answer right away. Thank God in the Name of Jesus, Amen!